Surprise Defender
by TykiMickey
Summary: Miranda is severely berated by Lvellie for failing a mission. And Kanda comes to her rescue…? (Really) mild Miranda/Kanda oneshot.


**Surprise Defender**

Miranda felt like the world was going to end. She had failed a mission. Special Inspector Lvellie told the nurses to send for him as soon as she woke up in her infirmary bed.

Miranda laid awake, feeling cold and clammy. She felt the gauze wrapped tight around her stomach and chest. She fisted the sheets and felt them dampen in her scarred palms. Dread filled her body. She heard from Lenalee, and pretty much everyone else, that the Inspector wasn't a nice man at all.

For a moment, she wondered if she was better off dead.

Miranda jolted when the double doors burst open. Special Inspector Lvellie marched in with a cold, stern look etched deep in his face. Allen Walker followed closely behind, looking worried. She cringed as the older man got closer.

"Exorcist Miranda Lotto. Care to explain what had happened on your latest mission?"

Allen went to Miranda's bedside with a frown. "Inspector, we really shouldn't be holding a briefing here. Miranda just woke up, and she's seriously injured-"

Lvellie whipped around and glared. "I didn't ask you to speak, boy. Have respect and hold your tongue." He turned to Miranda with a curt nod. "Go on."

Her voice was weak from the pain, soft from sleep and trembling with fear. "I was assigned to France, where I found Innocence, as expected, at the Musee Louvre in Paris. Then a Level Three Akuma attacked me. I-it was too strong...there was no way my Time Record could go up against it. I ran for my life, holding on to the Innocence."

Miranda touched her bandaged stomach and winced. "It threw one of the museum's p-paintings at my torso, just as I was going down a flight of stairs. The Innocence flew out of my hand. The Akuma caught it, a-and was about to finish me off when Allen came just in time. Instead of fighting the Akuma, Allen brought me here to have my w-wounds tended."

"So the enemy got away with the Innocence," the Inspector finished.

Miranda couldn't bring herself to reply. Tears welled in her heavy, tired eyes. Her head jerked in a dejected nod.

Lvellie glared down at her with scorn. "What an inconsiderate disgrace of an Exorcist. Not only did you blunder in your efforts to protect the Innocence, but you were a burden to another Exorcist who could have easily finished the job. Which you couldn't do, apparently."

Miranda's heart wrenched. What he said felt like physical pain. "I-I'm so sorry, Inspector. P-please forgive me-"

"Spare me your empty words. One more Innocence is destroyed by the Earl, no thanks to you."

Allen stepped up with indignance on his young face. "Sir, please don't be so harsh. Miranda did the best she could. When Komui assigned her that mission, we didn't expect an Akuma of such a high level to show up."

"Akuma are Akuma and Innocence is Innocence. Every mission is the same. Destroy Akuma and retrieve Innocence." The Inspector jabbed a finger in Miranda's direction. "What matters is that this woman failed to do her job. The Black Order has no need for such failures. You have not met expectations, therefore you shouldn't be here."

She started to cry. Her mind went numb and she felt herself hyperventilating. 'This can't be happening, this can't be happening.'

"I think, Miss Lotto, that it's best if you leave."

"_No_!" she cried. Her outburst made her stomach twinge in pain. She coughed into her hand. When she pulled away, her palm was smeared with blood.

"Miranda!" Allen rushed to her in concern. She was shaking so much she could hardly feel his hands on her shoulders.

"You can't do this," she whimpered. "You can't let me go. This is my home." Hot tears ran down her cheeks. Sobs shook her petite, frail body. "The people here are my only friends. I have nowhere else to go."

No pity or compassion found itself on Lvellie's face. "Never in my life, in my career as an Inspector, have I seen an Exorcist so clumsy, incompetent...and useless!"

The last word was the nail in the coffin for her. _Useless_.

Allen snapped. His normally polite demeanor dropped and now he argued furiously against the Inspector.

"I've heard enough! You are an awful and insensitive man to upset a sweet and hard-working lady like Miranda! She's already so hard on yourself, and look at what you're doing to her! She doesn't deserve this kind of treatment from you!"

This was all too familiar. The manager, Lvellie, was firing her from her job: being an Exorcist. This would mark the 101st job she lost. A life without her home, her friends, her purpose and desire to help her loved ones...she couldn't bear to think of it. Miranda wanted to die.

"Leave her alone."

Everyone, including Lvellie, turned to the bed to the right of Miranda's. Kanda poked his head from the blankets with a withering glare. Until now, no one ever knew he was lying there the whole time.

Allen's anger dissipated for a moment. "Ba-Kanda?"

"...I beg your pardon?" the Inspector finally asked.

"I said leave. Her. Alone," Kanda growled. "What do you expect from someone whose Innocence is purely defensive? If anything, you should blame Komui for giving her the wrong mission."

The Japanese Exorcist regarded Lvellie with unrestrained disgust. "Che. You might be an Inspector, but you can't even directly excommunicate Exorcists anyway. You need approval from the Chief. And I'm pretty sure Komui wants to keep her."

Kanda grunted as he sat up. His left arm was bound in a cast. "Speaking of Komui, where the hell is he?"

"The Chief is busy with work for the Science Division," Lvellie replied. "I am temporarily substituting him and performing his duties."

"Then I'm sure you have better and more important things to do than to threaten this wimp of an Exorcist."

After a few tense seconds, Lvellie marched stiffly out of the infirmary. Kanda scowled after him and shook his head.

Allen rubbed Miranda's back and gently shushed her, trying to get the poor woman to calm down. Her sobbing eventually dwindled into sniffling. She turned to the Japanese Exorcist as if he was a godsend.

"Th-thank you so much, Kanda."

He didn't look at the sheer gratitude in her eyes. "Don't think that I'm doing this to be nice. All your crying and moping woke me up, and now I'm pissed."

"I'm sorry...really, I am-"

"And stop apologizing!"

"S-sorry."

Kanda huffed an irritated sigh. "Che. Have more confidence in yourself. Don't let losers like him bully you so easily."

Allen scratched his head. He looked genuinely perplexed. "Huh. Whoever knew that Ba-Kanda actually had a heart?"

"Shut up, Moyashi!"

Miranda settled back into the warm comfort of her blankets. She couldn't help but smile as Allen and Kanda argued as usual. She was here to stay. The simple fact comforted her immensely. Everyone in the Black Order was dear to her, like her own family. Now she could finally count Kanda as one of them. Like Allen, Miranda did not expect Kanda to speak up for her the way he did. She didn't even know he was right next to her. Kanda always kept to himself, away from the noise and warmth of human company. Miranda didn't know what to make of Kanda's comments. Perhaps it was his own way of telling her that, even to a cold warrior like him, she was a valuable comrade.

'I will do my very best to grow stronger, and more confident. I hope that one day, someday, you might come to respect me the same way I respect you, Kanda. I look forward to that day very much.'

* * *

_To be honest, I'm not very emotionally invested in this ship. I can't see them being in a serious relationship, but it's cute to think of a scenario when Kanda could be nice to her for once._


End file.
